[Pladi]

Originally Posted by arkie6

I prime, i.e. fill, the oil filter and housing every oil change. I pour at least 1 quart of oil into the oil filter to saturate the pleats and fill the housing as much as possible before I install the oil filter cap. I do this with every oil change. I did the same when I replaced the oil filter housing gasket on my N54, but I also did an oil change at the same time and I personally wouldn't do the OFHG replacement without changing the oil at the same time. Due to known issues with the N55 and OFHG replacements, it is probably a good idea to also pull the spark plugs and disable the fuel injectors and spin the engine over a few seconds to actually pump some oil through the system and remove any air pockets prior to starting the engine up. It costs nothing but a few minutes of your time to do this.

thats not priming ... putting oil in there will not change much. When you remove the oil filter for an oil change oil sits there anyways. If you add more it will drain back to the pan.

By priming they mean cranking the engine without starting...

If you log the oil pressure during crank you can see the by cranking u can get that pressure up to 100 psi. Then you repeat that process a few times.

[arkie6]

Originally Posted by Pladi

thats not priming ...

What I said was "I prime, i.e. fill, the oil filter and housing every oil change." That is commonly known as priming the oil filter. Google [prime oil filter]. This is similar to priming a water pump, i.e. you fill the volute with water prior to starting the pump. Later in the my discussion I state that it would be a good idea on the N55 to spin the engine over which primes the oil pump and oil galleries. I never said or implied that priming the oil filter housing primed the entire lubrication system. I just said this is something I routinely do when I change my oil.

When I prime the oil filter, I have the filter installed in the housing, then fill the center of the filter with oil which slowly drains down through the center hole in the housing and also saturates the filter element. I continue pouring oil into the filter until the housing is full, then I quickly insert the cap which has the center cage and o-ring tip that seals hole in the center of the filter housing. Is the filter housing completely full of oil? No. But it has far more oil in there than if I had not filled it first. Note also that there is a check valve in the oil filter housing that holds oil in the housing after the engine is shutdown. This is the anti-drain back valve. The oil only drains out of the oil filter housing after you remove the oil filter cap which has the center cage and o-ring on the tip to seal that center drain hole.

[The Silver Slammer]

Should the bolts be replaced while doing this? Or can they be reused and torqued? Does anyone know the torque values?

[delmarco]

Ahhhhhh so there is two levels to priming the oil [system] when the oil filter housing is opened.

I'm now curious which "priming" is done at the oil changes AND ofhg work at the dealership?

Did we ever get their SIB on the OFHG priming.

This keeps getting better and better...lol

Originally Posted by arkie6

What I said was "I prime, i.e. fill, the oil filter and housing every oil change." That is commonly known as priming the oil filter. Google [prime oil filter]. This is similar to priming a water pump, i.e. you fill the volute with water prior to starting the pump. Later in the my discussion I state that it would be a good idea on the N55 to spin the engine over which primes the oil pump and oil galleries. I never said or implied that priming the oil filter housing primed the entire lubrication system. I just said this is something I routinely do when I change my oil.

When I prime the oil filter, I have the filter installed in the housing, then fill the center of the filter with oil which slowly drains down through the center hole in the housing and also saturates the filter element. I continue pouring oil into the filter until the housing is full, then I quickly insert the cap which has the center cage and o-ring tip that seals hole in the center of the filter housing. Is the filter housing completely full of oil? No. But it has far more oil in there than if I had not filled it first. Note also that there is a check valve in the oil filter housing that holds oil in the housing after the engine is shutdown. This is the anti-drain back valve. The oil only drains out of the oil filter housing after you remove the oil filter cap which has the center cage and o-ring on the tip to seal that center drain hole.

[TheGoodTheBadTheUgly]

Originally Posted by The Silver Slammer

Should the bolts be replaced while doing this? Or can they be reused and torqued? Does anyone know the torque values?

No clue for the torque spec, I just went approximatively lol.

But these are pretty sturdy bolts mate. Unless you manage to strip them in a way (pretty hard with these kind of bolts) or if the oil leak or corrosion really affected the metal composition which again shouldn't occur at all, you could start consider changing them.

But they seem to bee in pretty good shape for a long while. I did my OFHG like 10K km ago so when my car had around 105K km and the bolts where still in a great shape.

[The Silver Slammer]

Originally Posted by TheGoodTheBadTheUgly

No clue for the torque spec, I just went approximatively lol. But these are pretty sturdy bolts mate. Unless you manage to strip them in a way (pretty hard with these kind of bolts) or if the oil leak or corrosion really affected the metal composition which again shouldn't occur at all you might want to change them.

But they seem to bee in pretty good shape for a long while. I did my OFHG like 10K km ago so when my car had around 105K km and the bolts where still in a great shape.

And you primed it? What method did you use?

[The Silver Slammer]

Found it...

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1362166

22NM or about 16 ft/lbs

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by The Silver Slammer

Should the bolts be replaced while doing this? Or can they be reused and torqued? Does anyone know the torque values?

Since they would be covered in oil and grime and most likely get some stripping damage or get dropped and lost as you attempt to remove them it would not hurt to replace the bolts
but you don't have to.

Amazon has bolts on sale for $11

[TheGoodTheBadTheUgly]

Originally Posted by The Silver Slammer

And you primed it? What method did you use?

Nope at that time there wasn't an "outburst" of engine seizing after this kind of job on the forum so I pretty much just took all the necessary and normal precautions.

So I could to ensure that there would be no contamination or debris falling I worked around my OFHG a bit. Put rags around and carefully lifted the housing away when it was unbolted!

One thing that I did that and that I rarely see people mention is I removed coolant line before unbolting the housing. That allowed a lot of coolant to get out by gravity. That way you don't get all of this splashing and panicking when you remove the housing!

[The Silver Slammer]

Covered in oil and grime? I can clean them. Stripped? I'll use the proper tools and steps to remove them.

I was concerned whether, being aluminium, they may be stretch bolts like the oil pan bolts and therefore not reusable.

[TheGoodTheBadTheUgly]

Originally Posted by The Silver Slammer

Covered in oil and grime? I can clean them. Stripped? I'll use the proper tools and steps to remove them.

I was concerned whether, being aluminium, they may be stretch bolts like the oil pan bolts and therefore not reusable.

You can clean them no issue! Stripping torx bolt is quite an achievement hahaha.

I don't think you'll have much stretching issue since I don't even think they are in aluminum. I remember using my magnet stick in order to grab them so they didn't fall (which still happened obviously hahaha).

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by TheGoodTheBadTheUgly

You can clean them no issue! Stripping torx bolt is quite an achievement hahaha.

I don't think you'll have much stretching issue since I don't even think they are in aluminum. I remember using my magnet stick in order to grab them so they didn't fall (which still happened obviously hahaha).

I've been warned by many people who did this work that the bolts can and will strip since the techniques used to remove the lower front bolt and rear under-the-manifold bolts may be unorthodox. Especially if you cut corners using power tools and 12 pt metric wrenches.

[Pladi]

Originally Posted by delmarco

I've been warned by many people who did this work that the bolts can and will strip since the techniques used to remove the lower front bolt and rear under-the-manifold bolts may be unorthodox. Especially if you cut corners using power tools and 12 pt metric wrenches.

Did the work 2 times never stripped anything. Stripping bolts is user error..

I also reused the bolts..

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by Pladi

Did the work 2 times never stripped anything. Stripping bolts is user error..

I also reused the bolts..

because you are Canadian and you guys do it right the first time every time.

[The Silver Slammer]

Shots fired!

[The Silver Slammer]

Originally Posted by delmarco

I've been warned by many people who did this work that the bolts can and will strip since the techniques used to remove the lower front bolt and rear under-the-manifold bolts may be unorthodox. Especially if you cut corners using power tools and 12 pt metric wrenches.

Kinda like you did? Retard

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...=476419&page=9

[TheGoodTheBadTheUgly]

Right right no reason to get all excited here hahaha. Let me just add that removing the bolts holding the intake manifold and lifting it a bit really helps removing that hard to get torx. It doesn't take much time and you are doing the job the right way! With patience and the right tools + preparation you can't strip these bolts!

[delmarco]

Originally Posted by The Silver Slammer

Kinda like you did? Retard

https://www.e90post.com/forums/showt...=476419&page=9

No need for the keyboard aggression.

that tool was recommended to me by a forum member here in an actual DIY thread for the OFHG.

But when I got it and put it over the bolt it was way too loose...

I now have ALL the correct tools for the jobs HOWEVER I won't be doing this myself or at a shop and risk loosing a perfectly good engine because of some mystery behind oil priming and engine seizures!

Anyway said and done I will be at my local BMW in the morning for an oil change and I will ask about any extended warranty or discounts they may have to shave off some of the $1400 they want us to pay for the OFHG work.

My SA is chatty so any questions you guys want me to ask (since, with hundreds of cars going thru their daily, I'm sure they've seen this OFHG mystery before) let me know.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by delmarco

No need for the keyboard aggression.

that tool was recommended to me by a forum member here in an actual DIY thread for the OFHG.

But when I got it and put it over the bolt it was way too loose...

I now have ALL the correct tools for the jobs HOWEVER I won't be doing this myself or at a shop and risk loosing a perfectly good engine because of some mystery behind oil priming and engine seizures!

Anyway said and done I will be at my local BMW in the morning for an oil change and I will ask about any extended warranty or discounts they may have to shave off some of the $1400 they want us to pay for the OFHG work.

My SA is chatty so any questions you guys want me to ask (since, with hundreds of cars going thru their daily, I'm sure they've seen this OFHG mystery before) let me know.

if you're really that worried you can still do at a shop, they have insurance/warranties.

[bbnks2]

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...nes/1VnYQjobW0

The bolts are steel and re-usable. Torque to 22Nm according to TIS. There is no special instructions in there to do anything other than replace the gasket and torque the housing to spec.

Maybe someone who pays for access to BMW AIR can confirm that these are indeed the latest published instructions for the OFHG.

[TheGoodTheBadTheUgly]

Originally Posted by bbnks2

https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/e...nes/1VnYQjobW0

The bolts are steel and re-usable. Torque to 22Nm according to TIS. There is no special instructions in there to do anything other than replace the gasket and torque the housing to spec.

Maybe someone who pays for access to BMW AIR can confirm that these are indeed the latest published instructions for the OFHG.

Doesn't seem to be images from a E9X N55. The engine cover looks a bit like a N54 one but also different. Can't pinpoint really which engine it is. Regardless the process is pretty much very similar except for the last step that doesn't ring a bell.

Do you know what that last step: "Modify oil pressure switch when replacing." refers to?

[slanteyez]

Priming the oil system after a ofhg change? Is this another story created by the internet? I guess you gotta prime the oil system after each oil change too.